Unlikely Endorsement
by RedDragon30000
Summary: Set in the universe of 'A headmaster's Dragon Unleashed'. When the Headmaster leaves the laboratory for a small amount of time, Red Dragon gets revenge on Lloyd Hunter for viciously insulting her. Warning: contains spanking.
1. Chapter 1

**Unlikely Endorsement**

**Chapter 1**

Red Dragon was almost used to her new life and form. She had reviled both of these things since her accident, where her life had completely changed, and she had become a hybrid. However, she had adapted to them, first out of necessity, and then because they no longer seemed strange. It was true that her new life was a lot more regimented and out of her control than it had been. The person who now controlled her life was the Headmaster, and the only time she now had to herself was when she slept. In any other circumstance she might have resented not being able to do what she wanted, but now she was grateful that she didn't have to worry about her needs any longer. She didn't have to wonder about where she would find a safe place to sleep and live, and where her next meal would come from. All of this was provided in the Headmaster's laboratory, and she was well aware that she would have struggled greatly on her own.

Strangely, she felt _safe_ with the Headmaster, a description that others would find very hard to equate with the emotionless, cold man who was now her sole guardian. It was true that he was very strict, almost insanely so, and was quick to punish when she broke his rules, no matter what justification she might try to offer in an attempt to placate him. There had been a number of occasions where her room had become her prison, or she had been sent to bed with a sore bottom after breaking his most serious rules. However, even though he was so strict and cold, he acted in ways which dispelled any fears she might experience about him.

He had not turned against her after the accident, as the people she had known before her accident had done. Indeed, he had almost seemed excited that she had become an entirely new species. He had created a fair deal between the two of them, where each of them received what they wanted and needed from the other party, and Red Dragon was provided with a clearly defined set of rules, so she knew exactly what to avoid doing. She knew that it was down to her _own _actions whether she was punished or not, and the Headmaster always made sure to inform her of which rule she had broken before any sort of punishment occurred. The last thing which made her so fiercely loyal towards him was that he would comfort her when it was clear that whichever situation she was in could not be resolved any other way. Whether she was unable to cease her crying after a punishment, or she was destroying the area around her in a fit of rage that was too strong for the training room, the sensation of the Headmaster's stiff and awkward embrace was enough to stop her crying or calm her wild raging.

All of these contemplations about the way she felt around the Headmaster flew through Red Dragon's mind in a flash. The reason her thoughts had jumped to that particular subject had to do with what the Headmaster had just finished outlining to her. He had summoned her to his office through a whitecoat, just as she was finishing lunch, which made her apprehensive to begin with because she always assisted him with inputting data in his laboratory after lunch. As she accompanied the whitecoat, Red Dragon had rapidly scanned through the list of rules she had to follow in her head, finally dismissing them when she could not remember having broken any of them lately. When she entered his office, the Headmaster outlined what would happen shortly, the bulk of which caused her to struggle not to gape at him in fear and horror. The Headmaster would shortly be leaving his laboratory for two and a half weeks, to handle a distant aspect of his plans which could not be handled by anyone else. For the first time since her accident, the Headmaster would not be present.

While she had done her best not to let any emotion show on her face, _something _caught the Headmaster's attention, as he moved closer to her, studying her carefully. Finally, he stated:

"Something in what I have just said has caused a negative effect on you. Inform me what it is."

Red Dragon dropped her eyes at this, not wanting to see the Headmaster's expression when she outlined what was wrong, as he would likely count it as irrelevant and dismiss her concerns. Finally, she dropped her head as well, muttering her fears to the floor reluctantly.

"I won't feel...safe... if you will be gone from the laboratory. What happens if people get in wanting to hurt me and overcome the staff? You wouldn't be there to stop them."

There was silence from the Headmaster at the end of Red Dragon's muffled explanation, so long a silence that she began to feel worried and swallowed nervously. What broke the tense silence wasn't a sound, but an action. Red Dragon felt the Headmaster's large, cold hand rest against her neck, before cupping her chin and firmly tilting her head upwards until she was looking him in the eyes once again. Even though such an action was an indication of his power over her, it was also comforting in a way, as the gesture was so familiar. As if to reassure Red Dragon that he would _not _dismiss her fears, the Headmaster moved his hand until it was resting solidly on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. Then he at last responded to what Red Dragon had just told him.

"I am pleased that you are taking your own safety seriously at last. It is very doubtful that anyone seeking to harm you would be able to bypass my staff; I increased the security measures greatly after you were shot. However, why do you believe that _I _would be able to stop them anymore effectively than my security personal?"

As Red Dragon was wearing her dark glasses, the Headmaster was not aware that she was staring at him dubiously; it was only by the tone of her voice that he was able to detect her amazement at his reply, and her scorn for not recognising what was simple to _her_.

"Because you can hypnotise them! Once they catch a glimpse of your eyes they're done for, you don't _even _have to be in the room either. _That's _why you can stop them better."

The Headmaster was well aware, even though his charge had not said so, that she thought him an idiot for not realising what she had meant. He did not like what she was implying at all. His hand tightened slightly on her shoulder, as he hissed warningly:

"Just because I do not follow the same thought processes as you, does _not _mean that I am in any way the fool that you are implying me to be. I am willing to put up with things from you that I will not allow others to get away with, but _you_, my girl, are pushing it by insulting my intelligence. I advise you to stop doing so immediately, unless you want to feel the flat of my hand on your backside. Am I understood?"

In a voice that was slightly strangled with alarm and fear, Red Dragon managed to squeak out "Yes, Sir", while wishing that she had masked her scorn at the Headmaster's failure to know what she had meant. She vowed silently _never _to insult his intelligence again, unless he specifically ordered her to do so to maintain her deceptions against SPLAT. For the Headmaster to threaten to _spank _her if she did so again implied that he was taking this issue very seriously, as he only spanked her for her most severe infractions. Since he knew that Red Dragon would heed his warning, the only one he would give her, the Headmaster decided he no longer needed to be so severe. Consequently, the grip on her shoulder lightened somewhat, and the Headmaster decided to address the issue she had just raised.

"Even just the increased security is enough to keep anyone out, and all of my staff is programmed to protect you at the slightest threat, even those who are not Security personal. Does that satisfy you?"

Red Dragon was slightly taken aback by what the Headmaster had just revealed, as she had not known that _all _of the whitecoats would protect her. She had guessed Security would do so, as that was their function, but she had not imagined that the rest would do so too. All of this was for her benefit, the Headmaster had not needed to add these extra orders, but he had done so. Red Dragon was very touched that he would put so much effort into keeping her safe, even if he was not around. She gave a relived smile, instead of a verbal confirmation, as she did not want the Headmaster to hear the emotion still in her voice after what had just occurred. Luckily, the Headmaster was not as strict with her about verbal answers as he was with others, and appeared to let the entire matter drop. Glancing quickly at his watch, he ordered:

"Come! There is a great deal of work to do this afternoon."

Placing an arm about her shoulders, the Headmaster steered her bodily from his office, as Red Dragon appeared slightly stunned at the abrupt change in focus.

Only three days later, the Headmaster was preparing to depart from his laboratory, and was giving last minute orders to Red Dragon. He had to admit that he too was having reservations about leaving Red Dragon behind, away from his supervision. For reasons he had not yet fathomed, she was always much calmer if she knew that he was close by, and he was concerned that something unexpected might happen which his staff were unable to deal with. The Headmaster was soon to learn that his concern had not been unfounded, but not in the way he had expected. He was standing by the main doors, his car and driver waiting for him outside. Red Dragon was patiently listening to the Headmaster's orders, still wishing he was not leaving, even though she had not said such a thing aloud.

"You are aware of the work that you are assigned, and I have left detailed instructions on what needs to be done before my return. I am trusting you to finish your work without my supervision, if I find you have not done so for any other reason than illness or injury, I shall be very angry. I am still expecting you to follow the rules, and again I am trusting you to do so without my direct supervision."

At this point the Headmaster leaned forward, placing his hands on her shoulders so that she would focus completely on him, and what he would say next.

"Should you deliberately break the rules while I am away, then you will receive _double _the usual punishment on my return. Once more, I shall be very angry with you if I return and discover that you will only behave yourself when I am in the building. I want to know that I can leave you to your own devices, and that you will still behave when I am gone. I will not be repeating myself, as I must leave now, but I hope you understand the implications of what I have told you. I shall see you soon."

With these parting words, the Headmaster squeezed her shoulders slightly, in what might have been a gesture of farewell, and then released her, moving out of the main doors and into his car without a backward glance. Red Dragon stood staring worriedly out of the main doors until a whitecoat tugged on her arm. She turned, and followed the whitecoat towards the main laboratory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It had now been a week since the Headmaster had left the laboratory, and something had happened in that period which drove the work that the Headmaster had assigned lower on her mental list of priorities. It had been twilight, and Red Dragon had been sitting on a lower branch of a tree to the side of the building. While she was wary about leaving the safety of the laboratory, a need for something different from what was in the building occasionally drove her outside, helped along by the creature's desires as well. As she leant back against the trunk of the tree, she heard voices coming from the main road. The tree was close enough for her to see and hear the owners of those voices clearly.

The people walking along the main road close to the laboratory were the Hunter brothers. Red Dragon recognised them instantly, from the profiles that the Headmaster had showed her on his computer system. He had wanted her to understand his oldest adversaries as thoroughly as possible, so that it would be easier to trick them. She did not consider Harvey Hunter to be much of a threat, as she had learned that he was quite meek and timid, and could easily be scared into doing exactly what he was told (even though he was immune to hypnotism). Lloyd Hunter, however, was much more dangerous, as he was very strong willed and a natural leader, easily mobilising the rest of his group.

Almost without realising, she hissed warily, causing them to look in her direction. It was evident that they had seen her, as Harvey suddenly exclaimed:

"L-look L! It's _her_! It's Red Dragon!"

Belatedly she cursed herself for attracting their attention, and not wearing her dark glasses outside. She had forgotten that her eyes had a sort of inner glow, easily seen when it was close to being dark, or in complete darkness. She was jolted suddenly out of scolding herself by what Lloyd said in reply. He scowled in her direction, answering his brother abruptly and scornfully.

"_Of course _it's Red Dragon! No other creature looks like that, not even other murderers look like that!"

Red Dragon jerked backwards hard, almost as if Lloyd had physically struck her. In a way he had, and he had delivered a knockout of a blow. She _knew _that most people in the area thought she was a monster and a murderer, but to have someone say it out loud, and _directly to her_ was utterly overwhelming. Her view of the Hunter brothers abruptly blurred, as tears sprang to her eyes. That particular insult near failed to strike to the heart of her, whenever it was linked with her person. Even though _she_ knewthat she hadn't had a choice, and that she had killed to preserve her own life, she was well aware that the people who condemned her as a murderer would not want to hear anything different.

Even though she thought that Lloyd would taunt her for crying, she couldn't stop herself. She dropped from the tree branch, landing nimbly on her clawed, bare feet and fled back into the laboratory, sobbing helplessly. She had no way of knowing that Lloyd was feeling decidedly uncomfortable as he witnessed what his insults had done to her, and that his little brother was even now raging at him for being so cruel. Even if she had, she would not have adjusted or altered her plan for revenge in any way. She would make him pay for hurting her like that. Red Dragon was almost glad that she was starting to get angry, as she didn't want to experience the misery she was feeling any longer. However, in a few moments, she recognised that her anger was too strong, and was combining with the creature's anger, which was quite protective of its host, and was furious that someone had said such spiteful things to her.

Slamming open the door to the training room, Red Dragon fell to her knees as the rage she felt utterly engulfed her. She howled angrily, and leapt for the nearest target with her claws extended. She had no idea how long she rampaged in the training room for, but hazily felt control of herself returning, realising that she was lying on the floor. She heard footsteps, and caught the scent of two Security personnel. She was intrigued to realise that these two were the ones who were assigned to guard her the most often. The scent of the female guard grew in intensity as she moved close to Red Dragon, seemingly studying her visually. She observed her for a few moments, and then spoke to the male guard.

"I have never been ordered to retrieve the Hybrid from the Training Room before. What are the Director's orders?"

The eyes of the male guard glazed over, as he chanted the orders that had been implanted fully into his mind.

"The Hybrid utterly depletes her energy after destroying the objects in the Training Room. She is in need of rest to completely recover, but is physically incapable of moving to her room in order to do so. She must be carried there and placed in her bed."

Having finished hearing the relevant orders, the female guard smoothly lifted Red Dragon from the floor and began to carry her to her room, while the male guard stayed behind to lock the training room. In a few moments she was in her bed, grumbling mentally at the creature for triggering an 'outburst'. While Red Dragon always hated to lose control, what frustrated and worried her the most about these 'outbursts' was how much they temporarily crippled her. Once an 'outburst' had commenced, it was rare that she was able to regain any sort of control at all. Mostly, she was at the mercy of her devastating rage, and would destroy everything around her until she was barely capable of moving. Once that happened, her rage would have finally been spent, and she would be able to regain what little movement she had left and have control of herself again. The only _good _thing about her lack of movement was that it gave Red Dragon the opportunity to think, and she was now determined to figure out a way of getting revenge on Lloyd Hunter.

It took a day and a half until Red Dragon had recovered the energy she had depleted during her 'outburst', and she now had a definite plan on how she would pay Lloyd back for what he had said. This particular plan would involve a great deal of sneaking around, an activity she was wary about doing, as the last time she had done so, she had ended up with a very sore bottom and wanted to avoid a repeat of that outcome. For once she was glad that the Headmaster was not in the building, as he was far more vigilant than any of his staff were and would keep a close eye on what she was doing.

Red Dragon would have to conduct the bulk of her research at night, when it was easier to avoid the whitecoats, and they were not supervising her. The other reason she was conducting the research for her plan 'after hours' was because she had no intention of leaving the work that the Headmaster had assigned unfinished. She had no idea what he would do if he discovered that her work was not finished because of a reason that he regarded as trivial, but she knew that the experience would be very unpleasant.

She kept to her normal routine as much as possible during the day, so that the whitecoats would not have any suspicions about her activities. Every day she completed the work she had been assigned for that particular day, and allowed the whitecoats to believe that she was asleep in her room as normal during the night-time hours. It was very lucky that she hadn't done anything lately that resulted being locked in her room, as her door would have been guarded to stop her sneaking out.

She had only sneaked out from her locked room once before, having mastered the art of picking locks with her claws, and had easily outrun her guards (being able to run on all four limbs gave her a massive speed advantage). Unfortunately, she had failed to realise that the Headmaster had been alerted to what she was doing, and he ambushed her from a side corridor as she sped past. He caught her, gave her a hard smack for sneaking out, and then kept a secure hold on her as he delivered her back to her room. Even though the smack the Headmaster had administered had subdued Red Dragon, she had still sulked about being locked in her room and complained petulantly about having to stay in one place. The Headmaster had replied icily that she was being punished, and was _supposed _to hate it, adding that if she attempted to sneak out of her room again, she would end up over his knee. That put paid to any more attempts to sneak out, as Red Dragon was well aware that the Headmaster _would _do what he threatened if she disobeyed him. Even her desire for revenge would not have been enough to cause her to sneak out again, had she been locked in her room at this present time.

Luckily, there were no guards, so Red Dragon was easily able to access the computer system at night. She made sure to study the Security patrols as much as possible, working out a route which would not encounter them. She made sure to always wear her dark glasses, as she remembered how the Hunters had spotted her due to her uncovered eyes. The advantage of her incredible night vision was that she had no need of any artificial light on her night-time excursions. This made her almost impossible to see at night by anyone else. She also didn't have to worry about security cameras, as they were all placed close to the entrances of the building, and the perimeter outside, in order to spot the approach of potential intruders.

It had taken three days of hard thinking but at last Red Dragon decided what she would do to complete her revenge. It would be ideal if she could do what she planned from inside the laboratory, but she did not want Lloyd anywhere near the building, as he would attempt to discover the Headmaster's plans if he had the opportunity of doing so. Reluctantly, she resolved to implement her plan outside instead. She was still very wary about moving too far away from the building and safety, and had at last found the ideal location, which finally cemented her plans. Remembering the route the Hunter's had taken when she had encountered them, Red Dragon had discovered that this route was lined with a number of trees on the pavement, and that there were quite a few of them close to the laboratory on the main road. She had found that one of the trees was a large horse chestnut tree, and it was the right time of the year for conkers...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

All of the research that Red Dragon had conducted meant that her plan was now complete, and she knew exactly what she would do. She had researched how strong claws like hers were if they were imbedded in a firm surface and if they could hold her weight if she was at an unusual angle, and had practised what she had learned about by climbing the trees around the laboratory, and attempting to move from one tree to another using tree branches that were close enough together. She found that her claws had a very strong grip, and she could stay in one place on a tree branch for a very long while, even if she was upside down. She had spent two nights up in the horse chestnut tree she had seen earlier, loosening all the conkers that she could find with her claws. She knew that the Hunter brothers walked along the main road and under the tree on most evenings, and Red Dragon would hang from a branch in the tree, and once Lloyd passed underneath her, she would shake the branch as hard as she could, showering him with conkers. She had made sure that only a small section of conkers was loose, so none would hit Harvey, if he was with his brother at the time.

Her plan was now entirely ready; all she had to do was take her revenge when the time was right. Unfortunately, her night time research, and the nights she had spent in trees had taken a large toll on her, something she only realised when the Headmaster returned. When he had arrived back at the laboratory, he had been apprehensive, wondering if something had happened involving Red Dragon that might require his attention. Luckily, when he read the report from his staff, it seemed that the only discrepancy in the usual ordered routine was a single 'outburst' that had occurred shortly after his departure. As Red Dragon had needed time to recover, he knew that he would likely find her in the laboratory, finishing off the work that she had missed.

The Headmaster was correct, as he found her at her usual desk with books and a large amount of paper spread out around her. As she heard someone approaching, Red Dragon turned her head, suddenly coming to her feet when she saw who it was. The Headmaster was rather alarmed when he took in her appearance, as she was looking drained and very haggard. Her eyes, which were usually so vibrant, were now dulled with fatigue, and there were dark shadows under them, indicating that she had not been sleeping as much as she needed to. As it turned out, standing up so quickly was a mistake, as Red Dragon visibly swayed on her feet. Recognising the dangers, the Headmaster moved forwards and plucked her off her feet.

Red Dragon was always annoyed when the Headmaster picked her up, as it always reminded her how light and small she actually was. However, right now she had to admit that it was nice not having to support her own weight. She also had a strong dislike about leaving things unfinished, and even though she felt so tired, what she _wanted_ was to finish her work, however nice it felt not having to stand on her own feet. She struggled feebly against the Headmaster's hold, her voice hoarse and her words slurring together slightly, as she tried to make him understand what she needed to do.

"Stillgot...work to do. Notleaving it."

The Headmaster was impressed at Red Dragon's devotion to the work that he had assigned to her, but would not allow her to finish it in the state she was in now. Apart from the many mistakes she would make, her exhaustion would be worsened if she tried to finish her work now, and it would take longer for her to recover and start working again. Shaking his head at her declaration, the Headmaster replied:

"Although I am impressed with your determination to finish your work, I will _not _allow you to do so in the state you are in now. You _will _be leaving your work, and the only thing you will be doing today is sleeping."

Red Dragon snarled at this, annoyed that she wasn't going to be able to finish her work today. The Headmaster had now had enough of Red Dragon attempting to defy him and knew exactly what to do to stop her. Red Dragon felt the Headmaster's hand press firmly against her head, pushing it down until her head was resting against the Headmaster's shoulder. She didn't have the strength to resist the Headmaster's action, and now that her head was resting against something solid, she couldn't fight off her exhaustion any longer. Her eyes slammed shut, and she allowed herself to drop into the sleep she'd been fighting off all day.

The Headmaster smirked in satisfaction as his plan worked exactly as he had predicted. Red Dragon was now deeply asleep, and would remain so for however long it took to regain her energy. This meant that he would not have his own work interrupted by anything unexpected from her, and it would be easier for him to find out how she had ended up so completely exhausted to begin with.

In total, Red Dragon slept solidly for four days and nights, giving the Headmaster a reprieve from her sometimes chaotic behaviour. In that time, the Headmaster had become both frustrated and bewildered, as he had been unable to discover why he had found her in such a shattered state. He had interrogated the staff at length about what had happened when he had been away, but apart from Red Dragon's 'outburst', nothing unusual seemed to have happened. In the end, he resolved to wait until Red Dragon had recovered enough to answer him coherently.

As soon as she had recovered enough to leave her room, Red Dragon determined to implement her plan as soon as possible, as she was well aware that the Headmaster would find out what she had been doing soon enough and would likely forbid her from getting her revenge on Lloyd. She took her chance when the Headmaster was engrossed in a report inside the Security room, and raced outside as soon as it was dark enough and she knew that the Hunter's would be coming along the pavement. Removing her shoes, she extended all of her claws and darted for the first tree she needed to climb, easily reaching the branch she needed within a few moments. Since she had practised the route along the tree branches to move between trees, Red Dragon knew exactly how to get to the horse chestnut tree. Once she had reached the tree, she made straight for the branch that held the section of loosened conkers. As she had expected, she had timed her plan to perfection, as she spotted the Hunter brothers at the end of the road. Wrapping her limbs around the branch, she imbedded her claws deeply into the wood, and then shook it hard, just as Lloyd was underneath. Immediately a torrent of conkers dropped from the branch, raining down directly onto Lloyd's head. He yelped, shielding his head with his arms. As soon as all the conkers had dropped, Red Dragon pulled herself up onto the branch, and then turned to look down at her handiwork.

Lloyd was surrounded by a sea of conkers, and had a number of spiky conker cases stuck to his coat. He scowled as he saw Red Dragon up in the tree. She began giggling uncontrollably, as she saw the result of her hard work. It seemed Lloyd was too angry to form a coherent sentence, as he said nothing to her, merely scowling and stamping away with Harvey in tow, who was desperately trying not to anger his brother any further by laughing at him, even though he really wanted to. Still snickering, Red Dragon made her way back to the tree closest to the laboratory. Once she had reached the ground, she leant against it, still laughing, as she watched the Hunters for as long as she could still see them.

Her laughter was abruptly cut off, as she felt a cold hand seize her ear. Wincing, she turned her head, coming face-to-face with the Headmaster. While he thankfully did not seem _too _furious, he was clearly still angry with her, and jerked her towards the laboratory, causing her to yelp as he tugged at her ear. He tugged her through the corridors by her ear the entire way to the Security room, only releasing her once they were both inside. Red Dragon glowered at him, half apprehensive and half defiant, rubbing her sore ear. The Headmaster glared back before ordering:

"Tell me at once why you did something so stupid! Anyone could have seen you!"

Red Dragon reluctantly outlined the scene that occurred between herself and Lloyd Hunter and explained why she had made the decision to rain conkers on his head. The Headmaster remained worryingly silent after she had finished. On the one hand, he was angry that she had exposed herself by moving out into the open and climbing so high in trees in a move influenced purely by emotions. Yet on the other, he had to admit that it was rather satisfying for something to happen to one of his adversaries. However, he was not going to reveal how amused he was to Red Dragon. Scowling, he beckoned her forwards. She moved forwards reluctantly, well aware that she would make him angrier if she stayed where she was. She cringed as he growled:

"What you have coming now is for risking your life by climbing trees far higher than you should and risking being seen by people who could harm you."

Turning her away from him, he placed a hand on her back, bending her forwards slightly before he brought his other hand down hard across her bottom a total of four times. He then let her up and hissed:

"Be grateful it isn't any more."

Flinging open the door of the Security room, the Headmaster snapped:

"Go to your room!"

Red Dragon sobbed miserably as she hastily left the Security room, attempting to rub the sting out of her backside. Even though she had earned a few smacks in doing so, she felt that the consequences had been well worth it, now she would have the delicious memory of showering Lloyd Hunter with conkers.

In the Security room, the Headmaster waited until he was certain that Red Dragon was out of earshot before allowing the amusement he felt at the mental image of Lloyd Hunter covered in conkers to be released. He turned back to the security feeds, chuckling darkly for a few moments, and hoping that the Security cameras had captured that moment. He would never tell Red Dragon, but secretly he endorsed her little moment of revenge.


End file.
